The Year in News: Part 1

Grant McLennan, co-leader of the Go-Betweens, died May 6 in Brisbane, Australia at the age of 48 . The Go-Betweens released a string of beloved albums in the 1980s before disbanding in 1989. When McLennan and partner Robert Forster reunited in 2000, they were hailed as indie rock godparents, and went on to release three more well-received studio albums.

Never a dull moment for Mark E. Smith: On May 7, the Fall's show at the Brick House in Phoenix was cut short when a member of the opening band threw a banana peel at Smith's head. Allegedly, Smith ran after the peel-thrower and then later refused to finish his band's set, prompting the crowd to chant "Down with the British!" and "U.S.A! U.S.A.!"

In a message to Radiohead's W.A.S.T.E. fan club revealing The Eraser , Yorke wrote, "i want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah...this was all done with their blessing. and i don't wanna hear that word solo. doesnt sound right."

Radiohead's summer tour in support of nothing in particular, which took them throughout the UK, Europe, and North America, continued unaffected.

On Deerhoof's MySpace page, Cohen wrote, "Deerhoof are still my close and beloved friends and we part ways on the best of terms-- I wish them all the best and they do for me too. It just wasn't possible to go on when my heart was in another place. I hope you all understand."

In honor of Cohen, Deerhoof posted a new EP of covers and live tracks for free download on their website.

Not even rock stars are immune to the perils of unsafe motorists, as Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson learned on May 21. Wilson was crossing the street in Leeds that evening when he became the victim of a hit-and-run accident .

According to the band's website, he "escaped with minor injuries, a broken toe and bruising" thanks to the magical powers of rock'n'roll, as he utilized a bit of his trademark manic stage choreography to dodge the vehicle. "It sounds daft, but a 'Ricky trademark jump' has probably saved his life. The jump meant he was flipped over the top of the car, hitting the windscreen, rather than getting trapped under it."

The band also posted the phone number for the Leeds Police, hoping to catch the reckless driver. The perpetrator will become the subject of the Kaiser Chiefs' next single, "I Predict a Trial".

Desmond Dekker, the legendary Jamaican singer/songwriter who helped introduce international audiences to the sound of ska music, died in London on May 25 .

The man born Desmond Dacres and known as "the King of Ska" (after the title of his 1964 hit) was one of the progenitors of the rude boy sound, and the voice behind such 60s hits as "007 (Shanty Town)" and "Israelites". The latter went to No. 1 in the UK and reached the top 10 in the U.S. He was also the inspiration for the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da".

Drummer J'aime Tambeur abruptly quit Islands , the band he formed with fellow ex-Unicorn Nick Diamonds, on May 28, in the middle of the band's tour. In an interview with Pitchfork, Diamonds revealed that Tambeur's decision caught him off-guard. "I had no fucking idea," he said.

Tambeur wrote on Islands' website, "The fact is that I don't need to be in a band anymore. I think Islands is one of the best, if not the best band out these days, and I have every confidence that they will do incredibly well. I'm just not sure that being in a successful band is all that important to me anymore."

Islands soldiered on without Tambeur, touring with a revamped lineup throughout the rest of the year.

Eno told England's the Guardian that he wrote two songs and played keyboards on the band's forthcoming album, and that he spent two days in the studio with the group. He said, "The band hadn't changed one bit in terms of its internal dynamics. Just the same chemistry. It made me wonder if people can ever change the chemistry between them. After all that time, the relationships seemed exactly the same."